Tagua nuts, commonly
known as "vegetable ivory", earned it's name from it's ivory-like color and
texture. Tagua nuts are ideal
for pyrography (woodburning), turning, miniature carving such as Japanese Netsuke, inlay, scrimshaw, and
jewelry. Most often they are used for single and
multi-piece carvings.
Tagua holds detail
extremely well. It may be carved, shaped or cut easily with normal hand and
power tools.
Tagua nut slices make lovely pendants
and ornaments.
The photo of the carving
displayed here was done by one of our customers, Ian Holser of Davis, CA.
Please click on the thumbnail to see a larger view of this beautiful carving.
With the near
extinction of animal ivory, tagua nuts have become a highly valued commodity by
artisans and consumers alike.
Whole Tagua nuts are in such
demand these days, they are now becoming harder and harder to come by. But
we are fortunate to have found a new supplier so we will be able to continue
selling them with no price increase.
About the nuts
Tagua nuts have the
appearance and carving properties similar to animal ivory, but with the added
benefit of promoting forest and habitat conservation.
Note: Cracks or
flaws in the tagua nuts might not always visible from the outside.
Tagua nuts or seeds are
contained in pods. A set of pods is called a cabeza. They grow on
the tagua palm tree in Ecuador. When the pod is first taken from the tree,
the nuts or seeds within that pod are very soft, with a consistency of jell-o.
They are edible and can be purchased at fruit and vegetable stands along the
road as seen in the photo below taken in Ecuador.
On the right you see a
tagua pod cut in half with the edible nuts inside. The ones in the photo
had already started to dry and were not as green as is desired for eating.
Tagua nuts usually contain
a hollow or soft center that is formed as the nut dries and hardens. Each
nut also has a small stem that is softer and more porous than the rest of the
nut and projects from the outside inward to the center. As you begin to
work with the nut be
aware of both of these factors and plan your carving accordingly.
Most artisans have found that it is easier
to work the nut if it is only dried about 70%. That is still pretty hard.
After completing a carving, they dry it further. The extra drying helps to
insure that it will not crack later.
To achieve this extra step
of drying, they put the pieces under paper or a towel and shine heat lamps onto
the covering. This is similar to incubating a chicken egg - not too hot,
just nice and warm. They leave the carving to dry for about 24 hours.
Carving or Burning on Tagua nuts
Before burning you should either
blanche (boil water then toss slices in) the slices for 30 seconds or soak them in peroxide for 30 minutes to
remove the oils. Burning on them is different than burning on wood so you
might want to experiment on one first. One thing that people have found is
that burnings don't seem to fade on tagua nuts as they do on wood but I suspect
it is because the wood actually darkens over time and the burn actually doesn't
fade.
Using the smallest tips you have
practice some strokes to get a feel for what happens when you burn. You
will find that using a pen like a skew (small and very sharp such as the #14D
Razertip) to do lines that you actually are burning 3 lines rather than one so
very short strokes work best. Many people use ball tips (#99.008) or
writing tips (#9P) to do pointillism and that works great on tagua nuts. Also,
try using the small bent spear shader (#5SP or #5MSP).
If you are going to carve the
nuts, it is best not to soak them before carving. Because this is a
natural product, nuts can have cracks or flaws in them. It is much like
carving a piece of wood and then finding a flaw on the inside. Cracks or
flaws in the tagua nuts might not always visible from the outside.
The Tagua nut is great for
hand or the power carving. It carves easily, without grain problems and sands
and polishes to a satin luster. No finish is applied, except for final buffing
with 0000 steel wool and wax
So, experiment and practice first!
Shipping Information
We try to ship all
orders out within 24 - 48 hours. If we are at a show, we can usually ship most
orders within a few days. If there will be a delay in shipping we will let
you know. Shipping charges are calculated upon checkout. Woodburners
and most orders are
shipped FedEx Ground, please ensure you provide a physical address.
Smaller orders (such as pens and books) are shipped via USPS.
International orders
If you life outside the USA
please contact us directly to order. We
will try to assist you with processing your order in the most economical way.
Orders will normally be shipped by the USPS global mail. If you wish to
have the ability to have tracking for your order we can ship by Express mail.
Please email us your order and we will give you a price quote on your order.
NOTE! we MUST
have your telephone number FOR SHIPPING.
If you need expedited
shipping services, please let us know
(contact us to discuss
the FedEx Express service and rates that best meet your needs).
Our back order
policy
We try to keep our
inventory well stocked, but it is not always possible. When we are low on
an item we will post a notice on our website to contact us before ordering. If
an item is out of stock we will post a notice as to when it might be available.
We do not ship backorders separate. If you have ordered an item that is out of
stock we will make an attempt to contact you to see if you wish to wait until
the item is received, accept a substitute or cancel the order.
CUSTOMERS OUTSIDE THE
U.S.A.
Online orders are accepted from
customers within the U.S.A.
If you live outside
the U.S.A. and wish to order,
please contact us
directly about ordering.
If you are outside the
U.S.A., please
contact us
notice: SUPPLY OF TAGUA NUT SLICES IS LIMITED
ONCE WE SELL OUT OF THEM WE WILL NO LONGER BE CARRYING THEM!
